Applicants to the M.Arch program must submit a portfolio of creative and/or professional work in architecture, the visual arts, design, and/or affiliated fields. This portfolio must provide evidence of promise and potential in architecture, as well as of your interests, skills, and talent. It serves as a representation of your creative skills and aspirations, regardless of your background.
You must submit your portfolio online through your Syracuse University applicant portal. You will receive access to your Syracuse University applicant portal 2-3 business days after completing your application. After the application deadline has passed, you have 24 hours from receiving access to your portal to upload your portfolio.
Your portfolio will be evaluated by the admissions committee on the following criteria.
Creativity, Investigative Approach, and/or Experimentation: we look for an your ability to express original, imaginative, or innovative thinking in material form and demonstrate an experimental attitude toward your investigations, in whatever forms best represent your strengths.
Graphics/Visual Communication: we look at the composition, layout, and typography of the overall portfolio, as well as of the work contained within it for evidence of your communication abilities.
Research, Design Research, and Design Thinking: we look for evidence of research and/or design thinking skills that demonstrate your areas of strength; these may take, but are not limited to, forms of comparative analysis/case studies, cultural/contextual investigations, and/or environmental/building performance assessments.
Design Skills: for applicants with backgrounds in any design fields, we look for evidence of compositional, formal, and organizational skills in both 2d and 3d design, in whatever media are appropriate to your disciplinary areas of study/practice.
Architectural Design and Visual Communication: for applicants with backgrounds in architectural design, we look for strengths in applying design and graphic/visual communication skills to architectural problems; we look for a variety of clear 2d and 3d representations, in any media, manually or digitally produced.
It is expected that all work include explanatory text as necessary for the reviewers to understand the specific topic, context, framework, or intent of the work. All work should also indicate the approximate date of production and whether it was a result of coursework, professional or freelance activities, or collaboration. If done collaboratively, please identify your specific role in the collaboration.
